WHO: Birmingham Public Library (BPL)
WHAT: Bards & Brews: BPL’s Poetry Performance Series
WHEN: Friday, January 4, 2013
6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Live Music and Sign Up at 6:30 p.m.
Call Time at 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Birmingham Public Library, 2100 Park Place

Birmingham, Alabama—The year 2013 will usher in a new and improved Bards & Brews. The Birmingham Public Library’s (BPL) popular poetry performance/beer tasting series kicks off the New Year on January 4 with a slam featuring BIG CASH PRIZES: first place winner gets $200, second place $100, and third place $50. Contestants pay $5 to get in on the action. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. with live music, and poetry performances start at 7:00. Emcee Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins will deftly guide both novice and veteran poets through an evening of verse with topics that run the gamut from romantic relationships to the local political scene. The program is free of charge and open to the public.

Craft beer will be available for sampling and light refreshments will be served. Attendees must be 18 years or older to be admitted, and 21 years or older to be served. IDs will be checked.

Bards & Brews is usually held on the first Friday of the month at various locations around town. The February 1 session will be held at the beautiful Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest and will be open mic. Check out the Bards & Brews page on Facebook for more information. This program is made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.